BPA Worldwide Is First Auditor to Be Certified by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission.

NEW YORK -- BPA Worldwide has become the first events auditor to be certified by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC).

The official certification confirms that the EEIAC has examined BPA's systems and procedures and verified that these conform with the EEIAC's industry standards for independent auditing of attendance and attendee demographics for business-to-business exhibitions and events. The EEIAC standards for trade shows/events may be accessed at: http://www.bpaww.com/events/products_services/BtoBStandards.htm

Founded last year under the auspices of the International Association for Exhibition Management, the EEIAC provides ongoing structure and direction for the proper implementation of its auditing standards, and works to encourage industry adoption of independent event audits.

EEIAC's board of directors comprises representatives from event producers, exhibitors/sponsors and agency event buyers, including Reed Exhibitions; Carat Face-to-Face; Consumer Electronics Association/CES; Adjuvant Expos, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; National Trade Productions, Inc.; Business Journals, Inc.; Quantum Corp.-DL Tape Division; Boan NuTone LLC; and Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.

The standards overseen by the EEIAC were developed last year by the Task Force on Exhibition Industry Audit Best Practices and Standards. BPA President and CEO Glenn Hansen was among the industry representatives on this task force.

"BPA has been adhering to EEIAC standards since their inception, and we are proud to be the first EEIAC-certified auditor," said Hansen, announcing the certification at The Folio: Show in New York City. "Events exhibitors and sponsors are requiring greater accountability and verification of the returns on their marketing investments. Independently audited attendance and audience demographics data are vital to the future growth and success of the exhibits and events industry. We are pleased to be serving this need."

BPA events members currently include American Institute of Architects; The Folio: Show; FOSE; HIMSS; IAB MIXX Expo; Interop (Las Vegas and New York); Mobile Business Expo; Voicecon Spring; and, in China, the Bohai Electronics Week Show.

Speaking for EEIAC, President Steven Hacker, CAE, said: "We believe that exhibitors and sponsors deserve transparent and high-quality information about event attendance, so that they can make informed decisions about which events they will support. We are very pleased that BPA Worldwide is providing this kind of industry leadership."

About BPA Worldwide

A not-for-profit organization since 1931, BPA Worldwide is governed by a tripartite board comprising media owners, advertising agencies and advertisers. Headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, USA, BPA has the largest membership of any media-auditing organization in the world, spanning 25 countries. BPA serves more than 2,000 B-to-B publications and 500 consumer magazines, plus newspapers, events, Web sites, email newsletters, databases, wireless and other advertiser-supported media--as well as more than 2,600 advertiser and agency members. Visit www.bpaww.com for the latest audit reports, membership information and industry news.